Blackberry Fields Introductions

For {Nina} and {Hollow} <3

Partly Cloudy — Current Temperature: 12° F/-11° C

It was a freezing cold day, with cloudy skies that covered the weak sun and buffeting breezes. It was about mid morning, and Jasmine was tired, hungry, and lonely. She hadn't seen another wolf for weeks, and was starting to feel like the only wolf left in the world. She was born for pack life, not being a loner. Her heart ached for company, any wolf would do, but there was one in particular.

Her brother; Ace Caravello.

They had been separated when he had saved her from an attacking rogue, and she hadn't seen, heard or scented him since. She had cried for many days, on and off, before pulling herself together. But every now and then, she still did weep for him. And this was one of those times.

Sitting underneath a rather large bush, she felt tears roll down her face. The grey girl had almost given up on her search, for it was hopeless. There was no way that she would be able to find him, not now, not later, not ever. But in her heart, she knew that he was looking for her. Sighing, she rubbed the tears off her face with her foreleg in an attempt to make herself look presentable. But looking at herself, she realised it was hopeless.

There were black stains on the long, white fur that covered her legs and underbelly from the large bush that she lay next to. Grumbling to herself, she tried to lick the stains off, but only succeeded in smudging it. Giving a growl of frustration, Jasmine stood up and searched for a stream that was large enough for her to lay in. She found one on the edge of the treeline, and made her way to it.

When the grey girl entered the icy waters, she gasped. The water was freezing, but she made herself lie down in it, letting the water caress her thick, white pelt. She knew that her brother would love this, but she was more of a summer girl. The grey girl groomed herself again, and succeeded in washing off the blackberry stains. Jumping up out of the water and onto the bank, she shook herself and droplets of water sprayed in a wide circle around her. Now her fur was sticking out in every direction, and she looked like a fuzzy pup. Hopefully no wolf saw her like this, for she would be thoroughly ashamed for them to see her in this state.

(This post was last modified: Mar 22, 2013, 07:53 PM by Jasmine.)

I will always be seen, for I am the light in the dark...

Once again the black yearlings strange eyes traced the borders as he made his runs. It seemed as if he was the only one to do any patrolling these days and it was beginning to exhaust the male, every now and then he would stumble, or fall asleep against a tree while watching the border. It seemed that Kashikoi and Durai had both faded from the territory, to where he had no idea but it had happened and now the only other male he saw around the territory was Koda. This day was especially tiring, he had woken before the sun and been on a constant run and stopped one time to eat. The young male's head was drooping and his exhaustion apparent until off in the distance a short enough way from the border a wolf was laying in a river.

Hollow picked his pace up, even though whomever was near his border was far enough from it not be attacked they were close enough to be warned . As he approached he realized it was a female, whom must have had an unfortunate encounter with some type of filth as her fur was sticking out in so many directions she resembled porcupine. "Excuse me Miss, My name is Hollow of Secret Woodlands. you are nearing our border is there anything I can help you with?" He spoke with purpose and strength and his tail curled high above his back, though the kind tone of his words was very noticeable. Dominance was a strange feeling to him, but this was one of very few strangers he had seen while on his own so he had the power for the first time to be above another.

If he were honest with himself he did not love it, but he did not hate it either. It was an odd feeling being the one in control of the situation, even if she attacked this was his border and the family within would come running at his call. Though in her disheveled state Hollow could safely decide that all of that would be the last thing on her mind. He stood there and waited for an explanation, slightly unsure of what to do for the moment at least until he saw where this encounter was headed.

The grey girl sighed as she looked at herself. She looked a mess; with her fur sticking in every direction and slightly red eyes from crying. She was about to turn around and venture in a direction that she hadn't been when a new scent perceived her sensitive black nose. She looked toward the trees and saw a black wolf emerge from the treeline. It was clearly male, and was smaller than her, but not by much. She guessed that the male was a yearling, as he looked not fully grown yet. But that could just be her.

When the yearling walked up to her and introduced himself and why he was confronting her, Jasmine looked at him. He had his tail curled above his back, a sign of dominance, but the tone of his spoke otherwise. Inhaling deeply, Jasmine spoke in the soft, dulcet tones of her voice. "H-hello, Hollow, my n-name is Jasmine. And I'm s-sorry, I didn't realise that I w-was that close to y-your border." The grey girl hung her head slightly at her stuttering. She just couldn't help it. Whenever she met a new wolf, she always stuttered. "Yes there is. I am looking for my b-brother. He has light g-grey and white fur like me, but is slightly t-taller. He goes by t-the name Ace Caravello. Have y-you seen him anywhere?" She added hopefully with a few shakes of her thick, creamy brush. Jasmine was hoping to get on his trail, so that she would be able to track him through this new place.

Even though the grey girl was larger than him, she still felt shy. That was one thing that usually put off other wolves. Most of them thought that since she was so large she would be outgoing and ready to take on anything with an iron fist. But the truth was that she was not. She was shy, but friendly and always thinks through everything before acting. She gazed into Hollow's blue eyes with her green ones, and noticed that his right eye had flecks of green in it. She stared at him for a few moments before looking down at the ground. She hated that she always acted like this when meeting new wolves. But there was nothing she could do about it.

"W-what is this place?" Jasmine blurted out before she could stop herself. She felt a blush creeping up her neck and looked away from Hollow, pretending that she was interested in the stream next to her. She had no idea why she said that, but this place was different from any other places that she had seen. The trees were different in some places, and there were fields and lakes that she had never seen before. It looked like a very lovely place to live in. Hopefully she could find her brother and they could live together, whether it's alone by themselves, or in a pack. The grey girl looked sheepishly back at Hollow as she waited patiently for him to speak again.

I will always be seen, for I am the light in the dark...

Recently, Nina had been doing most of the western border runs to keep Hollow off of his toes for a little while, having a feeling that with Durai, Kashikoi, and Sloane gone that a helping paw would be appreciated. Everyday she had made it her goal to try and get to the borders at least once to relieve the yearling of his duties, for even she had found out in her early stages of life that overworking oneself never lead to getting anything else accomplished. She had just made her way towards the eastern points when the scent of an unfamiliar loner and Hollow blew her way. Pleased to know that another pack member had gotten there before she had, she lifted her tail above her back and raised her head, her paws instantly taking her towards voices. From her current position, she could only her mumbling and rumbled up words, but when she arrived, the question she was greeted with did not shock her, for it was a common one.

Strodding forward to where she was next to the form of Hollow, she nodded to the female, not having caught her name. Gently she bumped her muzzle again the dark man’s forehead in greeting before turning back to the woman. "This is the thickets…quite easy to remember, as it is filled with secrets." Her words had a bit of a rhyme to them, as they always had, though she did not seem to have noticed. Her one good eye watched the white loner wash herself from the icky black stuff that seemed to be clinging to her pelt. Quickly, Nina scented the air around them, concluding that the female was not infected with the disease that seemed to be plaguing the lands. Blinking her eye, she tilted her head towards Hollow, as if asking him why she was here.

It seems when you're around, my life is complete.

If this is okay I wanted to go ahead and get this in so that when Jasmine responds Nina knows what is going on as well. If not just let me know and I can have it deleted :P

Hollow was silent for a few moments as the grey she wolf spoke to him. Nervous, it was odd, that she would react in such a way to meeting a pack wolf, but then the yearling thought of how he must appear to her, lean and well-fed, sturdy, her current state was unknown to him. For all he knew she was just as strong if not stronger than he was. Friendly enough, he met no bared fangs nor any harsh words. Her inquiry was a simple one, and as she asked about her brother Hollow smiled to himself. He wondered had his own sister sounded the same when asking if he was anywhere nearby and began to noticeably smile when he thought of their luck that she had found Narime who had in turn led her to Sloane and then Hollow himself.

She stuttered as she spoke which the black yearling thought was either nervous habit or just a reaction to his more dominant presence as this was his home. When she finished speaking he started to consider what she had asked, no wolf by the name of Ace had been seen on their borders by him. That left but one more wolf that patrolled the borders enough for him to consider. Just as the thought crossed his mind the very wolf he was preparing himself to call appeared from the territory within the Thickets. At Nina's touch on his black head his tail lowered to that of a third and he took a more respectful stance in the presence of his alpha.

"It is okay Jasmine I did not mean to frighten you just to warn you before you got too close, I do not bare teeth at those who do not deserve it. This is my alpha, Nina Reinier" He spoke with a soft yet stern note in his voice to reassure the she wolf that he was not here to chase her away. His head turned to address his alpha. "Nina just as I was about to call you! This is Jasmine and she is looking for her brother Ace Caravello, she says he is a little bit taller than her with the same appearance. Have you seen him?" He stepped back and away from Nina to allow her to speak hoping that her appearance had not frightened the female too badly as not all could understand nor enjoy the commanding presence of his alpha as he could. But he himself reveled in her presence as she held such power and grace, with words that matched the innermost workings of his mind, articulate and thoughtful.

No, it's fine Ghoff :)

A rustling sound coming from the treeline caught Jasmine's attention. She swivelled her ears and shifted her green gaze towards the source of the noise. Maybe it was a wolf? Her thoughts were confirmed as a brown female emerged into her sight. She quickly studied the female. Her coat was a light brown and seemed to have gold highlights running through it. She had emerald green eyes, just like she did, but her right eye was completely shut. Had something bad happened to her? But as she opened her maw to speak, the other female beat her to it. The thickets, filled with secrets? Well, she could understand what the fae meant by that.

When the black yearling spoke to her, the grey female turned her green gaze to him. She knew that he thought she was frightened, but really it was just the usual way that she acted around new wolves. There wasn't any particular reason why she stuttered, it was just a nervous habit. Jasmine gave a small smile and a nod to show that she understood what he had said. But as he finished speaking, she took a moment to process what he had just said. So this female, Nina, she is the alpha of this pack? The grey girl felt a blush creep up her neck, she hadn't realised and now felt foolish of her mistake.

Giving a sheepish look in Nina's direction, she gave a dip of her head to show respect. "I'm sorry N-nina, I didn't realise that y-you were the alpha of this p-pack." Jasmine hung her head in shame; for she felt foolish that she hadn't known that Nina was alpha and because of her stuttering. But when Hollow spoke to Nina about her brother, she lifted her head to shoulder height and gave a few shakes of her creamy brush. Hopefully Nina had seen him, for she was starting to lose hope in ever finding him. But she knew that he would never give up.

Movement from the black yearling caught her attention briefly and she saw as he stepped away from the brown fae; with his stance in a less dominant form in the presence of Nina. The grey girl gave a shy smile as she waited for Nina to speak, hoping that she had seen her long lost brother.

I will always be seen, for I am the light in the dark...

Lips pursed as she stared that the lady in front of her, the golden woman’s ears twitched at the sound of Hollow’s voice. Introducing her had been something that Nina had not expected her subordinate to do. Blinking her single eye, she glanced over at her pack mate, the one male that proved the be the most loyal out of all the others. It had been true when he had sworn his life to her in the thickets and now he was proving to be just as loyal as he had promised. His words caused a small spark of recognition to cross her features as she stared at the green eyes female in front of her. On one of her own border patrols she had met this Ace of hers and though, she would rely some information, she would not tell all of it, for Nina knew that not all siblings were for the better…but the woman had long since forgiven her own brother.

When the female spoke once more, a small smile graced her features amusement playing clearly on her face, and her calm voice reaching out to her, "It is quite alright. Sometimes it takes time to get use to pack wolves again." Pondering the question that was delivered to her, she spoke once more, "Yes, I recently met your brother on our borders, however, I do not know of his whereabouts." Her tail swayed high above her back and her head hung high, her single emerald eye glued to that of the loner in front of her. Pricking her ears and waiting for the coming answer from the female, she glanced around quickly, before looking back towards Jasmine.

It seems when you're around, my life is complete.

It would seem that most of Hollow's part in this encounter had been played, for Nina knew exactly whom the she wolf was looking for. Having no further information the yearling seated himself and awaited for the conversation's continuance. While Nina gave the information to the female the yearling was certainly happy for her to have found a fairly fresh lead on finding her missing brother. It must not have been long ago that his sister Simaea had been in her very same position. Hollow did take notice of the odd look that always seemed to find Nina's features at mention of siblings whom had been separated and began to wonder what had happened and whether or not it had anything to do with the leaders eye but he decided against asking for if she wished him to know she would tell him.

Soon he found his thoughts wandering back to the days he himself had wandered near aimlessly, searching. It had not been something he often thought about but here was this loner at the borders of his home searching for someone. It was not so different from what he had been searching for in reality. Hollow had wanted to find somewhere to belong and shake off the chains of his past, chains he had been dragging for far too long that had made him weary and weak. But then in his moments of greatest need when he was not even looking for it, Nina came from the heart of the thicket and had offered him a home. He had known in that moment that he belonged there and something in Nina's eye, voice, or posture had spoken to him and said come and I will be the leader you can trust.

Hollow had heeded the call and now here he was, proud, and once again strong with the respect and love for his leader growing with each day. His loyalty now ran so deep that even though he could get up and leave he would not. If this she wolf turned feral at a moments notice he would be sure to be there never would he imagine to leave his leaders side unless it was demanded of him. So without a word to speak he sat silent sentry constantly scanning his surroundings and waiting for their words to exchange, or for some way he could be of use. "Speech."

When Nina reassured her that her stuttering wasn't bothering her, the white girl let a smile show on her face. She knew that most wolves found it annoying when she stuttered, but the brown fae didn't seem to mind. This put Nina higher up on her list of wolves that she liked. Though the list wasn't that big, as it mostly contained her family members. But it was the thought that counted, right?

Jasmine almost barked in delight when the brown fae told her that she had recently seen her brother. She always knew in her heart that he was looking for her, and now she could follow his trail and meet up with him. When Nina said she didn't know where he was, the white girl nodded. She let a smile grace her features before speaking. "Thank you f-for telling me, now I k-know that he is around h-here somewhere."

As her emerald green eyes flicked to Hollow, she saw that he had sat down. He was scanning around, as if searching for danger or anything dangerous. The black yearling seemed like a good wolf, he was very like able and honourable. Only acting like he had when they first met when he had to.

Turning her gaze back to Nina, she smiled. Her creamy tailed swayed back and forth and she pricked her ears, waiting for the brown female to speak.

I will always be seen, for I am the light in the dark...

She could see the general excitement radiating off of the young girl in front of her. It brought a small smile onto the alpha’s lips, probably one of the real ones that she had so carefully placed under her mask lately. With a small sigh she spared a glance at Hollow, happiness radiating off of her body as she watched the yearling scan the area around them. He was loyal to her, ever since he had sworn his life to her. She would never have asked for a more committed member to her family. He would make a wonderful head guardian once he came of age. Firming her thoughts with a nod in his direction he turned back towards the loner, tempted to give her the same offer she had given her brother. Thinking over her thoughts briefly, she decided she would do so.

Clearing her throat, she spoke clearly to the woman in front of her, “Well, if you are ever looking for a pack to settle down in, the Secret Woodlands is always open to new members.” Glancing over at Hollow briefly she gave a small knowing smile towards him. The young man had recently fallen for their newest member, Azariah, and though Nina had been quite happy that they had fallen for one another, she found herself wanting to know what the other yearling was hiding from them. With that on her mind, she made a mental note to check in with the girl later when she wasn’t as busy. Flicking her tail quickly, she turned her head slightly, her eye training back on Jasmine.

It seems when you're around, my life is complete.